The Charms of Making
by DarkQueenForever
Summary: Arthur and Merlin may be two sides of the same coin, but is that enough? Genevieve and Ismay are two polar opposite sisters hell-bent on figuring out this "destiny business" when the arrival of Merlin changes everything. Turns out that servants may have more secrets than the nobility ever thought. A/OC M/OC
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: This is my first Merlin fic! I hope you like it and constructive criticism or suggestions are always welcome! Enjoy! :)**

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 **Prologue (3rd Person)**

 _'Ismay...'  
_

Shifting slightly, the woman with dark hair turns to her right side and searches with her left hand for the missing blanket. Finding nothing, her long dark lashes flutter open to reveal a set of annoyed hazel eyes. Adjusting

to the lack of light, she turns back to her left to find another woman, her younger sister, curled up next to her on the large makeshift bed comprised of two cots. In a fetal position, the other woman's face can't be seen

because of her light brown hair crossing her face in a vast array of tangles. Sighing in annoyance, she reaches across and tugs on the blanket being hogged by her sister and wraps it around herself, making sure to keep it

around her sister as well. Laying back down, she scoots closer to her sister and closes her eyes.

 _'Ismay..."_

Snapping her eyes open, she sits up in bed abruptly and frantically looks around to find the source of the voice. Jumping slightly when she feels a hand on her shoulder, she calms down when she sees her half-awake sister

staring at her in confusion.

"Ismay? What's wrong?" Her younger sister asks while clearing the light brown hair from her green eyes.

"Evie, you scared me! Don't do that again!" Ismay scolds furiously.

"Sorry. Why were you awake anyway?" Evie asks curiously.

"I heard my-"

 _'Ismay!'_

Gasping and covering her ears, Ismay turns to Evie questioningly, "You heard that too, right?"

At her sister's confused expression, she grimaces and leaps out of bed to grab her worn-out brown cloak. Settling the warm cotton around her, she motions for Evie to do the same. Tip-toeing out of the room, Ismay glances

at Evie and puts a finger to her lips, a silent warning to be quiet and let Gaius keep sleeping. Reaching the door and pushing it open, they sneak out quickly to avoid the constant creaking that came with it. Rushing down

the steps and entering deeper into the castle, the women keep their eyes and ears peeled as they walk along the stone walls, elegant tapestries, and creepy statues.

Still avoiding Evie's confused expression, Ismay waits to hear the voice again as she mulls over the undeniable urge to investigate and follow her instinct. After a few moments, it's like when bad news hasn't sunk in yet and

there's a sense of just waiting- processing.

 _'Ismay!'_

This time the voice doesn't scare her since she's expecting it. Instead, Ismay grabs a hold of Evie's forearm and violently pulls her along another hallway to reach the voice. Weaving through countless halls, the calls from

that strange unknown voice grow and Ismay finally puts a hand to her temples to massage them after reaching a set of stairs.

Catching her breath and seeing her sister do the same, Evie peeks over the railing to find two guards with red garb sitting on measly wooden chairs with tiny table in between them. Squinting through the dim torchlight,

Evie sees them playing with filthy and worn play cards along with a set of dice. Relaying the information back to Ismay with a grin, her eyes begin twinkling when she sees that they both came to the same idea. Ismay

steps forward quietly and silently commands the set of dice to move along the adjacent hallway causing the both the guards to adopt laughably confusing expressions as they chased after them. Holding in her own laughter,

Evie sees the same amusement flicker across Ismay's face.

Quickly reaching the torches, Evie grabs two unlit ones lying on the floor and moves toward the ones already held up by the wall. Lighting them both, the women hurry down the mysterious tunnel that exists past the

guarded door. Quickly stopping her sister from continuing as they come to a small cliff, Evie clutches Ismay's arm as they stare in fear at an empty cave.

"Hello! Is any-" Ismay begins before Evie slams her hand over her idiot sister's mouth.

"Do you have a death wish? Keep-!" Evie chastises in a harsh whisper before breaking off suddenly because of a _whoosh_ right across from them.

Their eyes widen as a dragon almost the size of the cave itself lands upon a wide stretch of rock with scaly wings fully extended and sharp teeth bared. Frozen in place with their voices now lost, Kilgarrah watches the

women in amusement as their mouths open and close like fish.

Snapping back to reality first, Evie shoves Ismay in front of her like a peace offering and reveals a tense smile while she slowly backs away. Ismay, also recovering from shock turns around with a glare and grabs her _caring_

sister's wrist to pull her forward again. While eyeing the dragon in front of her, Ismay feels the strong presence of old magic in front of her- much like the feel of her own powers. As a sign of respect she lowers herself and

Evie to the ground and gazes intently at the dark abyss surrounded by rock.

"Ismay and Genevieve. It is an honor to meet you both. I am Kilgarrah," the Great Dragon's voice booms and echoes across the caves. Still sensing the women's discomfort, he lowers himself as well and folds his wings.

Ismay and Evie both share a glance with each other and shrug at the same time. Relaxing at the dragon's kind tone they realize immediately that they're in for a long night. Somehow, this dragon knows something about

them and probably wants something from them as well. Sighing, Ismay begins the interrogation.

"What are you doing here? I thought all the dragons were gone."

"No, not all of them. During the time of the Great Purge, Uther captured me and bid me to live below his castle. I am the last of my kind," Kilgarrah says with barely concealed venom.

"Well... I'm sorry about that. I can't imagine how that feels."

Evie finally speaks up and questions gently, "Me as well. But how did you know our names? And, I'm assuming you're the one that called Ismay?"

"You assume correctly. Both of you have been in Camelot for some time but I never felt the need to interrupt your lives until now. Something has changed, though. Tomorrow, a new arrival will awaken everyone's destinies.

That includes yours. Camelot has suffered under Uther's hands for a while. But his son, Arthur, is different. Under his reign, Albion- a kingdom of peace and prosperity among all- will live. Until that time, the young warlock

due to arrive tomorrow is destined to protect him. As are both of you."

Suddenly uncomfortable, the women look at each others' disheveled and sleepy forms then back at the dragon before bursting out in laughter.

"You can't be serious! No wonder he's in an underground cave! He's a lunatic!" Genevieve breathed out in between laughs at Ismay.

Ismay just laughed harder at that and held her empty hand against her stomach to soothe the pain her muscles were causing.

"ENOUGH!" Kilgarrah's voice booms out again.

Immediately the girls straighten themselves out and stare up in fear. Looking apologetic, they quickly mumble out their apologies and hang their heads.

"I wish I was only jesting. But the fate of everyone depends on the three of you keeping Arthur safe and guiding him to accept magic. Many have been persecuted for years and that is not something for you both to take

lightly."

"This kind of information is hard to swallow and I hope you understand that. We meant no disrespect. On the contrary, we've always wished we could change Uther's ways and save all those lives lost," Ismay reassures.

"I understand as well but I hope you don't expect us to believe you immediately. We would need to see it with our own eyes. For now, could you tell us whatever you can?" Genevieve questions, jumping right to the point

and with deep skepticism.

"Wait for the warlock, Merlin, before visiting me again. Befriend him and Arthur. The rest is for another time," Kilgarrah ordered.

Before anything else could be said, Kilgarrah extended his wings again and took off higher up the rocky caves. Evie and Ismay took in the sight of the now empty caves and the dwindling torches they each held. The journey

back to their chambers was a quiet one as their minds reeled with the new information. Sitting down on their beds, they both looked out the window wondering whether a world such as Albion could ever grace them.

By dawn, the sisters hadn't gotten any sleep since their strange encounter and had whispered their thoughts to each other. The only new arrival that they knew about was Merlin, Gaius's new assistant. The old physician

proved to be quite friendly with them ever since they'd arrived by themselves in Camelot all those years ago. He was now like a father to them.

With their silent agreement to visit Gaius and keep an eye on Merlin, Evie and Ismay began to dress in proper work clothing. Evie was an apprentice for Tom, the local blacksmith, and best friends with his daughter, Gwen.

Ismay was a singer in the minstrel, the on-call royal entertainment. And, since she wasn't needed today, she decided to spend the day with Gaius until the warlock arrived. If all went well and Merlin turned out to be who

they were looking for, she would at least have someone who understood what it was like to hide magic. _Evie is always supportive but she could never understand._ The two women looked at each other and their worn and

bland blue cotton dresses and smiled reassuringly.

"I know it's probably too soon but Kilgarrah was so genuine. I can't help but believe him. It's also pretty exciting, don't you think May? I've always thought that something was missing from our lives! It's not just that

though, I always knew that Uther's persecution couldn't continue. Even if what Kilgarrah says isn't completely true, maybe we can do _something_ to bring peace, " Genevieve rambled excitedly.

Ismay had already expected her impulsive sister to be less skeptical but she also agreed. Her heart told her that the dragon's words were indeed true and she realized that she desperately wanted a time like Albion. The first

step, though, was Merlin. Nodding to each other, Evie quickly left the room to meet Tom at his shop while Ismay straightened out their room until she knew Gaius would wake.

They were lucky to have a room in the castle- especially one extremely close to the Physician's Quarters. Although, it was small, plain, and hardly decorated, it had become their world. Ismay, walking with purpose out the

door, just hoped that this world wouldn't come crashing down around them anytime soon.

 **Author's Note: Please tell me what you think! I'll probably change the POVs to first person and alternate between Evie and May. What do you think?**


	2. Chapter 1: Merlin

**Author's Note: Another chapter! Please let me know what you think! Constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcome! I hope that this is** **good enough to continue! Special thanks to MyOwnPersonalHeaven for reviewing! :) I appreciate it.**

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 **Chapter 1: Merlin**

 **Ismay's POV:**

The Court Physician's chambers were always a mess. I could never make sense of anything in the room full of books, herbs, bottles, and layers upon layers of dust. Then

there was that dreaded leech tank. I had offered to clean it once long ago when I'd heard Gaius complain about it. It was perhaps the biggest mistake of my life. I still

cringe at the thought and force myself to retain a neutral expression as I close the door behind me and look around the room for Gaius. He normally woke up earlier

than most people and was always busy brewing potions, collecting herbs, or researching through endless piles of books. As much as I love Gaius, his line of work bores

me to death.

Finally spotting him on the second floor by the railing closely examining a tattered book and holding a bottle, presumably a potion, I smile gently and decide to wait for

him to finish and not interrupt. Moving further into the room, I sit on a stool behind one of the physician's work tables and curiously scrutinize some of the herbs

carefully organized there. Everything seems strangely quiet this morning. Not many servants were bustling around like normal and none of the royals were to be seen.

Suddenly, I remembered the cause of this unnatural peace. There was supposed to be an execution held this morning; a young man had been accused of practicing

sorcery. Feeling immediately uncomfortable at another life lost and an intense fear for my own life, my heart became heavy and my shoulders dipped low. _I really hope_

 _this so-called warlock can change everything._

Through these thoughts, I don't notice someone in the room until they call for Gaius. As a result of the unknown voice, I stand immediately and watch in fear as a

startled Gaius tips backward toward the railing from the second floor. His potion and worn book go hurtling towards the ground as I still stand, too frozen to react yet.

Suddenly, though, it's as if time is slowing down and one of the beds magically moves forward to end the old physician's fall. In more shock than before, I turn around to

see gold fading from the newcomer's eyes into a bright blue.

"What did you just do? No, I know what it was! Where did you learn how to do it?" Gaius asks, panicking after he finally manages to stand up on his shaky legs.

"N-nothing! It was nothing. I've never been t-taught or anything!" Merlin claims.

"I hope you aren't lying to me, boy! Did you incant something? I know magic when I see it!"

"No, no. I was born with it! I swear!" Merlin responds, now also panicking.

"Nonsense! That's impossible."

I continue to stand there awkwardly and stare at the interaction. Finally deciding to make my presence known, I step forward to make sure Gaius is all right and to

make some inquiries of my own. With frustration, I question, "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

Jumping at seeing me and hearing my voice, Merlin begins to panic even more as he digs out a letter from a knapsack on his back.

"I-I'm Merlin. My mother sent you another letter, Gaius." He explains as he hands Gaius the letter.

"I don't have my reading glasses. Are you Hunith's son?" Gaius asks skeptically.

"Yes! I think you've been expecting me." Merlin mumbles uncomfortably.

"But you're not meant to be here till Wednesday!"

"Uh. It is... Wednesday, Gaius." I correct as I hold back a grin, "Seems like your old age is finally getting to you!"

Gaius mock glares at me before sending a ghost of a smile my way. He turns back to Merlin and gives him directions on settling in while I decide to clean up the mess

from Gaius's almost fall.

"Umm, sorry. Y-you both won't say anything about..." Merlin starts off reluctantly.

Gaius and I assure him that we wouldn't say a word, I get back to work. After dragging the bed back, putting the books away, and cleaning any glass and wood shards, I

turn back to find that Merlin has gone through a door in the back of the physician's room to his own chamber. After witnessing that little stunt though, I realize that

there is no doubt in my mind that Merlin is the one Kilgarrah told us about. Gaius tapping me on my shoulder breaks me out of my thoughts.

"Thank you for cleaning up that mess. You really didn't have to." Gaius says appreciatively.

"Nonsense, Gaius! I would never make you do it yourself and you know it!"

"Indeed, May. I was wondering if you would show Merlin around a bit since it is his first time in Camelot. He has come here as my assistant so it's best if he knows where

to get them."

"I would love to, Gaius! I know where you get the herbs; I wouldn't mind showing him where to go."

Gaius looked at me thankfully and I began to feel slightly guilty. If it was anyone else I would have helped as well, but, the real reason I wanted to show Merlin around

was to talk to him. If they were all to share such a great destiny, the more she know about him the better. And, since she wouldn't see Evie until much later, it was

better if she could glean enough information to tell her too.

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"So, um, Gaius hasn't told us much about you. What are you doing here? If you don't mind me asking, of course?" I awkwardly try to strike up a conversation.

Maybe it's because of the already awkward atmosphere but his response is probably twice as awkward. "Us? A-and, no. I don't m-mind. My mother sent me here

because she thought Gaius could help me control my p-powers. Ealdor is a small village and she worried that... people would notice."

Shocked by his openness, I lapse into a temporary silence before I realize that I had been asked a question as well. "By us, I meant my sister and I. Oh! I never

introduced myself, did I? I'm so-"

"Don't worry about it. I asked Gaius. Ismay, right?"

"Y-yes. And, my sister is Evie. Well, Genevieve but everyone calls her Evie... Sorry, I'm rambling!"

Merlin looks like he's holding back a laugh as he shakes his head and tries to pay more attention to his surroundings. Our silence becomes less awkward as more time

passes and I show him around all the important nooks and crannies of the castle.

"There's only one place left! Have you eaten anything? I haven't had breakfast yet." I chatter while leading Merlin to the kitchens.

It was one thing that even Evie never questioned or made fun of about me. If anything, food was something I was incredibly serious about. She did question, though,

whether I joined the right profession of singing when I should've been cooking. _Nonsense, in my opinion._

After snagging some fruit from the head cook's watchful stares and the bustling servants eager to get breakfast for the nobles, Merlin and I left the kitchen smiling. It

had been fun teaching Merlin who was who and how to grab food when no one was paying attention. It was the one important skill Evie and I learned in all the years

we'd been in Camelot. Snacking on the green apple I had in my hand, I lead Merlin to the market where I could see Evie and show him where to buy specific herbs. After

showing him stalls for what Gaius normally asked for such as cress, wormwood, and yarrow, I also showed him a few others that only carried the rare herbs. The only

ones left were the ones in the forest and those were often easy enough if you knew what they looked like.

Explaining everything to Merlin had been easy enough and he hardly asked any questions. I was becoming worried though. I had asked numerous personal questions

and he had been fairly forthcoming. I had gotten used to lying and doing anything I could to hide my magic. Evie even helped, often times. But Merlin didn't seem to

completely understand that although magic was a part of him, he had to keep it hidden. Flaunting it would land everyone in all sorts of trouble and ruin any destiny that

they each had. Deciding to talk to him about it some other time when he had settled and didn't think of me as a stranger, I lead him towards the blacksmith's shop.

The long walk on the dirt paths and around sweaty people in the hot sun really seemed to take its toll on us both as we slowed down significantly and sweat dripped

down our brows. Sighting Evie bargaining with older man on the price of a fine silver dagger, I become excited to tell her that at least some of Kilgarrah's words are true.

Approaching her from afar, her light brown hair is still in a neat braid over her shoulder, while her dress and cheeks are soiled with soot. Her twinkling green eyes are

mesmerizing as she relentlessly bargains with the customer. I point her out to Merlin but someone has stepped in front of her by the time his eyes get to where the

shop is. By the time, we stand in front of Evie, the older man in farmer's clothing who had also been bargaining is mumbling under his breath about unfair deals as he

carries a shiny new dagger and sheath away, leaving Evie smiling in satisfaction as she counts the coins the man had just paid with. Waiting patiently for Evie to finish

and notice the both of us, I look over at Merlin who has an indescribable and weird expression on his face.

"May! What are you doing here? I thought you'd be with Gaius investigating the new-" Evie delightedly babbles.

I harshly enunciate every word as I interrupt, "Evie! I thought you'd like to meet Merlin, Gaius's new assistant."

"O-Oh! Sorry. I'm Evie, May's sister. It's nice to meet you! I-I hope you enjoy your time here... in Camelot." A flustered Evie responds as she sets eyes upon Merlin for

the first time.

Awkwardly, she quickly turns around and smacks her forehead with her palm and shakes her head before turning back as if it never happened. This prompted me to slap

my head because of her awkwardness. Evie often got quite a few stares because of her challenging, impulsive, and abnormal demeanor.

"Sorry, Merlin. She's always like that. Don't worry; she's not a lunatic or anything." I kindly fill in while Evie glares at me and fumes internally.

Merlin just laughs comfortably, "N-not at all, it's nice to meet y-you as well."

They begin conversing but I watch as both of them have to stutter out some words because of their nervousness. Somehow, both of them seem to be in a contest to

see whose cheeks can be redder. _How cute. It's like they've never seen the other sex before._ I hang back and hold in a giggle as they lapse into another unpleasant

silence.

After saying our goodbyes, I motion to Evie that we'll talk later and escort Merlin back to his quarters to rest and continue getting settled in. Gaius is still there cutting

some herbs and brewing a potion. As Merlin's door closes softly behind him, I plop myself down on a rickety wooden stool next to Gaius with a sigh, getting his attention.

"Mary, your friend in the minstrel, was looking for you a moment ago. She said that because of Lady Helen's presence tomorrow, there's no need for any performance.

Uther has commanded all the members of the minstrel to cater to Lady Helen if need be." Gaius gently informs.

Sighing again in frustration, I slam my head on the mahogany table repeatedly. I always hate when Uther makes orders such as these because I end up doing all the

work. People usually know that I'm nice enough to do favors if needed. But some members of the minstrel clearly take advantage of this trait and never take 'no' for an

answer.

"You could always try hiding out here until this blows over. No one comes in here so no one could ask you to do anything." Gaius suggests, amused.

"I know. Maybe I will this time. I hardly get paid enough for all that I have to deal with!"

"Don't we all?"

We both look at each other for a while and begin laughing. _The life of the lower class, eh?_ After composing ourselves, I watch, uninterested, as Gaius measures out some

herbs and colorful liquids and mixes them all together. It's well past noon and both Gaius and I opted to skip lunch and have dinner with Evie when she came- which she

undoubtedly would. After watching Gaius and running a few errands to get water for a few hours, it was around the time for Evie to come back to the castle after a

grueling and hot day of work. Merlin had probably fallen asleep as neither of them had even heard a peep.

As Evie made plans to run to the kitchen to get dinner instead of allowing Gaius to make it, the old physician's grabbed her attention by posing an interesting question.

"So, I'm assuming you don't want me to tell him about your magic?"

Contemplating for a moment, "I... not yet. I will tell him myself. I found out by accident but I don't know him well enough. Only you and Evie know about it, you know

that."

Gaius stares at me for a moment and sees my confusion but just nods to himself and leaves me to sneak over to the kitchens. Suddenly, the doors burst open as Evie

strides in with a fresh dress and neatened hair. _Always has to make a grand entrance..._

Before she can say anything, I blurt out, "Help me sneak out food from the kitchens!"

Her eyes brighten even more and she grabs my hand before we hurry out the door.

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Early the next morning, I wake up again on my side of the makeshift bed because of Kilgarrah's voice. Only, he isn't calling me but Merlin. I sigh at another interruption

to my sleep. Still not understanding why I can hear the bloody dragon when he isn't calling for me, I force myself back into a fitful sleep.

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 **MyOwnPersonalHeaven: Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad that you like the sisters. I hope I develop their characters well! :)**

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 **Author's Note: Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think! :)**


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